Today it became my pick for lunch when my daughter could not join us, but since I just had a root canal this morning I wanted to go somewhere that served some tasty hot soup that I could actually eat. We also needed to be close to the Saint Louis University campus since my son had an on-campus event starting at 1:00 pm. So I decided to go visit Pickleman's Deli on Laclede, just a few hundred feet from my son's towering dormitory up the the street where I ate just a month ago. The first thing we had to do was find a place to park. We thought we might try to park at the lot at Humphrey's, but they had a lot of signs stating it was just for Humphrey's customers and I was not sure it they had any soup! We spotted a couple open spots on the street so we decided to park on Laclede instead. Once we parked, however, we noticed these were not normal parking meters, but instead were using some online app for parking. Luckily as of September, 3 of the 4 of us had smartphones available so we were all trying to figure out how to pay for the privilege of parking on Laclede. My wife was the first one to sign up and figure out how to pay so we could finally go inside and decide what to eat for lunch. It sure seems easier just to shove a few quarters into a meter!
Once inside, the menu looked reminiscent of someplace like Potbelly's. There was a large selection of sandwiches, salads and soups, and after testing my post-surgery teeth, I decided I was probably fine for a grilled cheese to go with my soup! I selected the Baja Chicken soup and a toasted grilled cheese with both cheeses, with pickles, black olives and banana peppers on top. My wife and son both ordered the turkey and bacon club (my wife added avocado which she really liked), and my mother-in-law selected a grilled cheese with some tomato bisque. They had a lot of specialty sandwich options and I am not sure what I would have selected if my mouth was not half numb! A lot of them sounded pretty interesting to me.
We stood in line adn watched as they went through the process of making our sandwiches. They all travel through a toaster, much like at Potbelly's and then they add toppings and condiments as specified at the end. The soups come in little plastic containers which is quite neat and self contained, and they also come with a soft, warm roll. We selected a roomy table in the corner in a spacious and comfortable seating area that was not too crowded. They had some SLU jerseys on the wall and some other St. Louis area paraphernalia with a high ceiling that seemed fitting in its location across the street from campus. I am sure they get a ton of business from students and university employees. They also had signs they were hiring drivers earning $15/hr to $25/hr which might be more than some SLU graduates, depending on their majors!
Everyone enjoyed their sandwiches, and I must agree that my toasted grilled cheese was quite good, especially with the olives, pickles and banana peppers on top. I definitely liked the ability to add "fixings" on a grilled cheese. The Baja Chicken soup was also quite delicious, still hot both in temperature and spiciness (but not too much so) and it was quite good with the roll ripped up and dipped into it. Just right for after having a root canal in the morning! My mother-in-law actually did not eat her tomato bisque, so I actually ate it this evening with my dinner along with the roll that came with it. It was quite tangy with a slight hotness to it and a nice creamy texture. My mother-in-law does not know what she missed!
A couple complaints start with the drink machine where the ice dispenser is too close to the lemonade and water dispensers. When both my wife and mother-in-law tried to get ice they both received a complimentary beverage sprayed on their arm at the same time! That is not a well placed ice dispenser. Another negative was the restroom as experienced by my wife. She noted that the floor was sticky and that the toilet was dirty. The paper towel dispenser gave out little paper towels about six inches long and was difficult to activate the sensor to give you another. It was obviously not a well maintained restroom.
All in all the Pickleman's by SLU is a quick, inexpensive place to get a tasty meal when you are near campus. It is nothing too special, and it has its flaws, but still a worthwhile place to visit for something a little different from the various on-campus eateries.
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